Wooden Dolls Game: Rewinding time won't change your destiny

Wooden Dolls Game: Rewinding time won't change your destiny

Gifted a set of mystical wooden dolls that can transport the owner back in time, one young woman is given the chance to change a pivotal moment in her life. But is fate willing to be so easily undone? In a moment that shapes their lives forever, five-year-old twin sisters Mary Jane and Antonia find themselves embroiled in a rivalry over the simple act of choosing a bedroom in their new home. From that one event, their sisterly bond is broken. As MJ forges a life-long kinship with Olivia, the girl next door, Antonia's jealousy continues to fester. Amidst the twists and turns of fate, Mary Jane is presented with a peculiar gift from a local fair—a set of mysterious wooden dolls imbued with magical powers. But as MJ discovers the dolls' ability to transport her through time, fear leads her to hide them away, burying the magic they hold. As the years pass and the sisters drift further apart, Antonia's jealously for Mary Jane deepens. And, as her hatred intensifies for her sister, it sparks a life-changing tragedy, forcing Mary Jane to confront her past and the dormant magic of the forgotten dolls. But as she seeks to use the power held within the curious toys, can Mary Jane mend the shattered pieces of the past to reshape the future? Or are some destinies bound by forces beyond her control? I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion. What begins as a tender domestic tale—a family moving into a new home, twin sisters finding their first sense of individuality—slowly evolves into something darker, stranger, and impossible to forget. Wooden Dolls Game is a haunting psychological thriller about childhood envy, love, identity, and the kind of family wounds that don't fully heal, even when everyone pretends they have. Hoyos captures the fragile tension between innocence and obsession through Mary Jane and Antonia Crowell, twin sisters whose bond fractures over something as simple—and as symbolic—as the color of a bedroom. The early chapters feel deceptively calm, filled with family rituals, cardboard boxes, and small joys, until the wooden dolls enter the story and turn playtime into prophecy. This is a novel that thrives on atmosphere. There's an eerie domestic stillness beneath every scene: a family dinner, a fairground, a painted wall. Hoyos writes with cinematic precision; you can feel the weight of the paintbrush in Antonia's hand, the splinters of the wooden dolls, the tension building between sisters who love and resent each other in equal measure. While the dialogue at times leans simple—true to its child narrators—the psychological undercurrent is chillingly mature. The novel's real horror is not in the supernatural, but in how jealousy and love can coexist in the same heartbeat. The "game" isn't just about dolls; it's about control, inheritance, and the ways trauma rewinds time in our minds, forcing us to relive what we can't forgive. Readers who enjoyed Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn will find echoes here: the fragile domestic world turning on itself, sisterhood as both salvation and curse. This book lingers—not because of what it shows you, but because of what it makes you remember. Romuald Dzemo Wooden Dolls Game by Ivonne A. Hoyos is a tale of sisterly love, animosity, and a tinge of magic. The book introduces Mary Jane and Antonia, five-year-old twins whose love for each other is damaged when they quarrel about choosing a room in their new home. Antonia takes things very personally and develops growing resentment, hatred, and jealousy of her sister. Mary Jane has a deepening friendship with Olivia, a neighboring girl. Everything changes when a mysterious set of wooden dolls, gifted at a local fair, reveals a stunning secret: the power to travel back in time. Initially, Mary Jane is awed by the magic of the dolls and decides to hide them. Years roll by, and Antonia's hatred for her sister only grows stronger. To avert a tragedy, Mary Jane must use the power of the dolls to travel back in time. Can she undo the one thing that has splintered her relationship with her sister? In this spellbinding YA fantasy, the choices between forgiveness and fate are fragile, and Ivonne A. Hoyos skillfully explores this theme. The author introduces the premise right away, and it is very relevant for the ages of the key characters, Mary Jane and Antonia. One of the things I enjoyed about this book is the nonstop drama, enhanced by the sparkling dialogue, emotionally charged scenes, and the author's ability to infuse the writing with magical realism. I love characters that are relatable and emotionally resonant, and Wooden Dolls Game delivers in the twins' characterization. The conflict is cleverly handled, and I was keen to see how it affected MJ psychologically. This story is both gripping and thought-provoking.